Minnesota Crop News

There are two methods of pre-harvest management that can speed up the small grain harvest: Swathing or applying glyphosate. Because modern varieties allow for it, most wheat and barley is now straight-cut instead of swathed.  Oats are still commonly swathed. A pre-harvest application of glyphosate is only labeled in wheat. The advantages and disadvantages of the different preharvest management tactics can be found here:  https://extension.umn.edu/small-grains-harvest-and-storage/managing-wheat-harvest If you suspect you have a moderate to high infestation of wheat stem sawfly, swathing may be a good choice to avoid harvest losses. Because wheat stem sawfly migrated into this year wheat crop from adjacent wheat stubble, there is generally a very strong edge effect. To determine if you need to swath edges of fields, sample the wheat crop and determine the percent of plants infested by wheat stem sawflies before harvest. Simply split the stems longitudinally and look for the ...

Micronutrients are “small but mighty” elements required by plants to complete their life cycles. Plants take up less than one pound of micronutrients per acre, with only a few ounces required for optimal crop production. While micronutrients are needed for optimal plant growth, they may not need to be applied. Essential micronutrients include boron, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. For some plants, molybdenum, chloride, or nickel may be important. Elements like cobalt sodium, silicon, and selenium are also considered beneficial, as they may not impact plants directly but can affect processes in the soil that have an impact on plant growth and development. Since plant requirements for micronutrients are small, most soils supply adequate amounts. Many micronutrients are metals, and their availability can be impacted by soil pH. Solubility and availability of some micronutrients decreases as pH increases. However, high pH soil does not necessarily mean that micronutrients need to...